Atlanta Downtown Walk (Self Guided), Atlanta

The capital of the U.S. state of Georgia was founded in the mid 1830s, some decade after the first Europeans settled in the area, as the terminus of a major national railroad that provided link between the port of Savannah and the Midwest.

Quite fittingly, the settlement was first known as Terminus, and then Thrasherville. When asked, in 1837, about its future, the railroad's chief engineer said that it would be good "for one tavern, a blacksmith shop, a grocery store, and nothing else". By 1842, however, the town had six buildings and 30 residents and was renamed Marthasville to honor Governor Wilson Lumpkin's daughter Martha.

Later, it was renamed Atlanta after becoming a convergence point among several railroads, spurring its rapid growth. The largest was the Western and Atlantic Railroad, from which the name "Atlanta" is derived, signifying the city's growing reputation as a major transportation hub.

During the American Civil War, Atlanta served a strategically important role for the Confederacy until it was captured in 1864. Almost entirely burnt to the ground during General William T. Sherman's March to the Sea, Atlanta rebounded dramatically in the post-war period and quickly became a national industrial center and the unofficial capital of the "New South". After World War II, the city further established itself as a hub for manufacturing and technology. During the 1950s and 1960s, Atlanta proved instrumental in the American Civil Rights Movement, with Martin Luther King Jr. becoming prominent figure in the movement's leadership.

Perpetually busy, Downtown Atlanta is marked by the presence of governmental facilities such as the Georgia State Capitol, the seat of the State government. The Fairlie–Poplar Historic District, a definitive center point and longtime commercial heart of Atlanta, contains many striking pieces of architecture dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The most famous of them include the Flatiron Building, a wedge-shaped structure from 1897, and the Healey Building, the last major skyscraper erected during the pre-WWI construction boom.

The Olympic Games of 1996 gave the Downtown a significant boost. Centennial Olympic Park, built as a physical memorial to the games, spurred the creation of a tourist district anchored by the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola drawing scores of people to a shiny new area that frequently sprouts various offerings, including festivals and regular lunchtime concerts. Among other prominent attractions in Downtown Atlanta are the CNN Center, the Center for Civil and Human Rights, and the College Football Hall of Fame.

The number of visitors to the "heart of the South" continues to rise steadily year on year, prompted by the round-the-clock, big-city excitement found in a multitude of places. To explore Atlanta's Downtown more closely, at your own pace and in your good time, take this self-guided walking tour.